Bushnell NorthStar 78-8846 (675 x 114mm) Telescope

Pros: Great sky viewing, easy to use electronic system, very durable, not too expensive.
Cons: sub-par eyepieces included with telescope, easy to knock over, astro-aligning can be challenging, mount vibration.

IntroductionThe Bushnell NorthStar 78-8846 reflector telescope with electronic alignment system is a great step up from cheap, department store, telescopes for anyone with a true interest in astronomy. The telescope has a 114mm (4.5") ...

Pros: Lightweight. Easy to use. Powerful, (with some lens upgrades). Looks great.
Cons: Instruction manual. Bushnell staff is semi-retarded. 3x Barlow is garbage. Focuser is tight.

For those that are easy frustrated and cannot follow directions, a few simple steps. First take a deep breath and relax. Second, buy yourself a little compass and a small level from ace hardware ($2.00-$5.00). When you set up your telescope, make sure ...

Pros: Easy assembly. Light weight.
Cons: Terribly brief instruction manual. It doesn't explain things easily for a novice. Un-Helpfull website.

First, I have never taken an astronomy class and never used a telescope before. But this is supposed to be for beginners, so that is the perspective from which I am writing. The assembly of the scope and tripod is very simple. No tools needed. The ...

Pros: Looks great in the box
Cons: well lets just say like 'halo' said it's moronic, although not the operator the telescope.

"Wow!!!" was all I could say when I opened my present, I was stunned and totally gratified that my wife spent her hard earned money on a telescope for me. It was something I had wanted all my life but never revealed to anyone. Here was, this quite ...

Pros: Great looks, easy to align, powerful computer for amateur astronomers, great viewing capabilities.
Cons: No compass, a bit to heavy in the back.

I just bought the Bushnell telescope yesterday and I am impressed. People who do not understand the instructions must suffer from idiocy. The buttons are clear, the telescope looks great, and the inovative Real-Voice Output is quite interesting. The only problem is it doesn't come with a compass in the accessory tray :(. Overall, I would highly recommend this telescope to anyone who is a first time, amateur astronomer, but wants power. GET FROM COSTCO!!! IT'S SLIGHTLY CHEAPER!!!

DON'T BUY CELESTRON REFRACTOR TELESCOPES!!!

Pros: Lightweight.
Cons: Bushnell website not helpful. Instruction manual not helpful. Very disappointing.

I bought my husband a Bushnell North Star 78-8846 for Christmas last year. Three reasons: It stated it was for the beginner and intermediate user, it was user friendly with its voice activation and GOTO capability and also because it was lightweight; my husband is disabled. My husband has used the North Star several times, mostly using a military guide and star chart from on line. We are out in the country with no interference from lights. When we use the scope on a clear night we can view many stars manually. The mechanism would point to nothing in the night sky and say you were looking at a constellation. We are not proficient astronomers, but we do know a little bit. We can tell if we are looking at stars or not. However, we do not know what the names are of everything which we are looking and the GOTO mechanism doesn’t seem to know either. That was one of the selling parts for me so we could learn more about our stars and night sky. I paid over $250.00 for this telescope, specifically for the GOTO mechanism. I am disappointed.

Pros: Looks hi tek. nice sighting scope. It has nice lines. Easy to assemble, light.
Cons: A GOOD GIFT FOR A 10 YEAR OLD! poor mounting system and drive mechanism.

I was given a new 3" Bushnell for Christmas. Very poor. I traded for a 4.5". It is worse!! The mount is very flimsey and even a slight breeze will move the tube. Using a "real" eyepiece requires I counter ballance the tube as it would drift or the mechanism would not lift the opening. If you accedently touch the eyepiece or attempt to focus, it would move. The focuser is tight and only good for the lower powers, 100x or less. With the added weight, the azmuth drive "SCREAMS" and the movement is jerky. The barlow lens and eyepieces are junk. The tripod though fairly sturdy does support the scope well enough. But, it sure will look pretty collecting dust in my living room. The maximum "usable power" is 225X not the advertised "calculated power" of 675X. Although Bushnell does saw the 635 is calculated power. Primary mirror is not truely cleanable and adjustable by the end user. They should be a bit more honest about that. Thier service department is not very forthcoming with information and the company does not sell many if any usefull accessories to "upgrade" the unit. All in all,a real let down. BEWARE!!

Pros: none
Cons: it's junk

My wife and I bought this at a Kmart that was going out of business very cheap. We were excited about it and couldn't wait to try it out. Then utter frustration. It works wonderfully during the day if you want to look at ground objects in the distance. All it picks up at night if I aim it perfectly is 1 or 2 tiny dots of light. I can point it at a group of stars and still only see 1 or 2 dots of light. I can actually see the stars better with my own eyes. I keep seeing TV shows about discoveries amateur astronomers are making. With this scope you can only discover frustration. Don't waste your money.

Pros: Lightweight, portable. Looks good.
Cons: Terrible computer, flimsy controls and tripod.

I bought it because it was supposed to be easy to use! The built in computer was supposed to do the hard work. Yeah right! I've had it almost a week now, and I have yet to align the computer. It never automatically points at any bright stars during its initial setup! So far everything I've seen using this was by moving it around by hand. The computer is worthless. Also, the controls are not all that great. Lack of quality is obvious everywhere. I can't believe I paid over 200 for it. I will return it for sure. Do not waste your money on this one!

Pros: Light,good looking
Cons: Dodgy, doesn't GOTO as it says, Terrible eye pieces.

I bought the telescope, it looked good extremely easy to use and light. I wish i never wasted the money, i couldn't see anything through the telescope for a week so i took it back and asked for a new they gave me it, same problem so i went to a professionals and the scope inside (what ever that is) was not lined up so i had to line that up for anther 30$ and the dam thing still doesn't work. Bottom line avoid this piece of junk.

Pros: Easy to Assemble, no tools.
Cons: Poor instructions, poor computer, shoddy construction, no customer support.

Ditto to the other reviews. This is not easy, the instructions were written so that they would be easy to translate into 20 languages, not to make the telescope easy for the user. The only easy thing about this telescope is the initial assembly.
I have yet to be able to turn on the red dot finderscope, I put in a fresh battery and cannot move the switch, the only likely spot is molded closed.

Rip Van Winkle must be the Bushnell site coordinator, it looks like mid 90's and is not at all useful.

My telescope was also a Christmas gift, one I had wanted for some time and my husband chose this one on advice. I cannot find the heart to tell him it is not really a good product and I am disappointed.